Information On Motorcycle Air Vests

Smudgemo said:
I'm curious how you determined it was time to replace it. I don't recall seeing anything from Helite other than send it back for inspection after six deployments or when there is visible damage. Maybe Hit-Air is different?
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I washed it like they say you shouldn't...by submerging it. :eek: Then to get the water out of the places it went into, I unzipped some of the tubes. Did the plastic in there deteorate from what I did? Or from the exposure to the sun? In any case, I found some of the tubes had cracks in the plastic.

I think I purchased that initial vest back in 2010 or so. The replacement was in 2022. So it lasted me at least 12 years.

Chris
 
TPadden said:
I’ll hijack the thread on this one… as a cop I’ve responed to countless vehicle accidents; not one with air bag deployment said they were uninjured and it was a pleasant experience. Almost every one with little to no vehicle damage and air bag deployment involved blood and bruises… ;)

Tom
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Not surprising as your experience is consistent with what we read about airbag deployments.

I totaled my car in an accident. It was violent enough that I broke pretty much every bone in my foot, broke ribs 3 through 12 all on the left side, smashed arm, smashed finger, etc.. My airbags went off. Strangely enough I did not have one scratch on my face. Maybe somehow I didn't hit the airbag, or it didn't hit me, but I don't see how I could of avoided it.

I would rather have the minor injury from the airbag than the major injury from not having it. Part of why I should look in to these vests I guess- I have broken enough ribs and don't want any more.
 
The side-impact bars in doors and B-pillar air-bags are helpful too! :)

Thing that sucks about broken ribs is they're so painful for so long. No easy way to immobilise them and every time you breathe, it moves them slightly and it HURTS!!! :eek:
 
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Sadlsor said:
You WILL, once you spend enough time on a monster-truck-sized "adventure bike", riding challenging offroad.
BMW GS 1150 or 1200 or 1250 Adventure / KTM 1190 or 1290 Super Adventure anyone...?
Have you ever seen Noraly drop her non-monster-truck-sized adventure bike? Do you think she wants to change a cartridge each and every time for her low-speed drops?
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:thumb:
 
To all, and especially for @Uncle Phil -- do a quick search over on ADVrider if you haven't already, for bunches of posts by owners and users of these airbag vests.
Don't ask me why I didn't think of it before now, given the time I've spent over there this past year.
I'll apologize to Phil and the rest here.
Was gonna start a private convo with my banged-up friend Phil, but then figured it may be helpful to others who are considering one or have specific questions for other actual users.
With not much effort, I found long threads specific to the Klim vest and the Helite / Helite Turtle, so I'm sure the other standards will be represented likewise.
 
Sadlsor said:
To all, and especially for @Uncle Phil -- do a quick search over on ADVrider if you haven't already, for bunches of posts by owners and users of these airbag vests.
Don't ask me why I didn't think of it before now, given the time I've spent over there this past year.
I'll apologize to Phil and the rest here.
Was gonna start a private convo with my banged-up friend Phil, but then figured it may be helpful to others who are considering one or have specific questions for other actual users.
With not much effort, I found long threads specific to the Klim vest and the Helite / Helite Turtle, so I'm sure the other standards will be represented likewise.
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BTDTGTTS - I retired after 50+ years in the tech field and I have just a little bit of 'practice' in internet searches. ;)
So I did that before I started this thread so it would hopefully not follow that path.
That was the reason for my initial post - a whole lot of 'postulated opinions' and racket on those threads not pertinent to the discussion. ;)
In one thread, I went through all 40 pages - only about 10 pages max germane to the subject.
That is why I asked specific questions so we could collect real world data from people instead of opinions.
I thought it would nice and useful to have it in a place for others to benefit without having to wade through a bunch of useless noise. :biggrin:
Whether you want one or not is not the subject of this thread or to debate pros/cons of tethered vs electronic.
I really appreciated the one post about when his tethered vest didn't go off and the response of probably why from someone - things to be aware of.
Like other articles on this website, I hope it will provide experiences that people have had with the various models and why they made the choices they made.
I am not interested in theory, I am interested in practice cause theory always works in theory, in practice, not so much.
 
Andrew Shadow said:
Part of why I should look in to these vests I guess- I have broken enough ribs and don't want any more.
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Andrew - That's right where I am.
I don't think in every case they will save the ribs - but if only once (and all the other stuff saved) then it is well worth the price of admission! ;)
I have not seen any posts so far where the wearer said 'I really wished I hadn't been wearing one!' :biggrin:
 
Phil thanks for starting this thread. I was researching vests about a year or so ago and then squirrelled so thanks for pushing this to the forefront of my noggin.

I’m leaning towards the Helite tethered. The only hesitation I have is my inability to remember to secure everything before setting off; I once got 5 km down the road before I realized my helmet chinstrap wasn’t done up. But I have started using a mental checklist that seems to work pretty well and adding the tether should be easy enough to do.

I’ll be curious to hear which way you land. Thanks again!
 
Weaselinsuit said:
Phil thanks for starting this thread. I was researching vests about a year or so ago and then squirrelled so thanks for pushing this to the forefront of my noggin.

I’m leaning towards the Helite tethered. The only hesitation I have is my inability to remember to secure everything before setting off; I once got 5 km down the road before I realized my helmet chinstrap wasn’t done up. But I have started using a mental checklist that seems to work pretty well and adding the tether should be easy enough to do.

I’ll be curious to hear which way you land. Thanks again!
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Right now the Hit-Air Maximum tends to have my attention over the Helite - it just seems to provides a little more protection.
Definitely tethered outside the jacket for me - just determining the best place to tether with a 'reminder' near my audio/heated gear cords in front of me. ;)
I have a little routine I go through now before taking off - "Where's Your Wallet? Where's Your Camera?" having lost both before.
Just got to add - "Where's Your Tether?" :biggrin:
 
Uncle Phil said:
Right now the Hit-Air Maximum tends to have my attention over the Helite - it just seems to provides a little more protection.
Definitely tethered outside the jacket for me - just determining the best place to tether with a 'reminder' near my audio/heated gear cords in front of me. ;)
I have a little routine I go through now before taking off - "Where's Your Wallet? Where's Your Camera?" having lost both before.
Just got to add - "Where's Your Tether?" :biggrin:
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I'm getting to the point now that I need a pre-takeoff checklist as I used as a pilot:

Helmet Buckle - Check
Keys in Bike - Check
Boots buckled - Check
Zipper up - Check
Saddlebags and trunk closed and Latched - Check
Phone out of pocket - Check
Wallet and money - check
Sidestand up - Check

When I used to fly I would always recite the GUMP checklist before landing:

Gas - tank and fuel pump
Undercarriage - down
Mixture - Set
Prop - to high RPM

It always amazed me how many times pilots would forget to lower the landing gear on private aircraft. Talk about ruining your whole day.
 
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bdalameda said:
I'm getting to the point now that I need a pre-takeoff checklist as I used as a pilot:

Helmet Buckle - Check
Keys in Bike - Check
Boots buckled - Check
Zipper up - Check
Saddlebags and trunk closed and Latched - Check
Phone out of pocket - Check
Wallet and money - check
Sidestand up - Check

When I used to fly I would always recite the GUMP checklist before landing:

Gas - tank and fuel pump
Undercarriage - down
Mixture - Set
Prop - to high RPM
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Now, if we just don't forget the list and where we put it ... :think1: :biggrin:
 
Uncle Phil said:
just determining the best place to tether with a 'reminder' near my audio/heated gear cords in front of me.
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I've done a reminder as well, but I forget it's there!

Tether to right frame rail seems perfect for me. I have it set for a pretty short pull, so I often get a reminder tug when going to get off the bike. No accidental explosion yet.
Not unlike forgetting to clip it in when starting off.
IMG_20240105_141601.jpg
 
Uncle Phil said:
DeanR - Thanks for the picture of your 'reminder' - that's sort of what I am thinking.
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That picture is a 'tether for my tether'. I suppose it is also a reminder though. My rarely remembered reminder is just a couple bright colored zip ties up on the handlebar. They don't work!
 
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Maybe an old or blank key attached to the tether? Remove the bike key and plug the tether key into the ignition when parking the bike.
 
Then you would start fishing for the "spare" key. Next time you stop you'd put it away and you'd have lost 2 sets of keys. ;) Maybe that wouldn't work for everyone in this group. :biggrin:
 
UP, thanks for starting this thread. I have learned a lot. I started researching an airbag vest a couple months ago and think I want an 'e-vest' as my get-off last June was a low-side where I was on the ground before departing the bike at 30 mph. I still have a sore rib on the left side that I'll be visiting a DR about next week. I'm interested in the E-Turtle or the Air-Tek 5. But after hearing Tor's input, I'm considering his vest, too.

JohnConner
:bluegw::usflag1:
 
Tor,

I'm looking on Revzilla at Klim airbag vests and it shows 4 models. Discounting the airbag pack model, Is yours the Ai-1, Atlas 14 Avalanche, or Ai-1 Rally airbag vest?

Are you happy with the vest's performance?

If you were looking to get a new vest, money not being a big concern, what would be first on your list? Are you sold on the electronic activation or do you think a tethered vest is equally as good?

Thanks for the feedback,

John Conner
:bluegw: :usflag1:
 
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